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Sounds from space  Sounds of Enceladus  This artist's concept shows the detection of an atmosphere on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. The NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini spacecraft's magnetometer instrument (MAG) is designed to measure the magnitude and direction of the magnetic fields of Saturn and its moons. During Cassini's two close fly-bys of Enceladus (17 February and 9 March) the instrument detected a bending of the magnetic field around Enceladus.
The picture shows the magnetic field observed by Cassini along its trajectory plotted in a vector form. Even though the spacecraft altitude was almost 500 kilometres at closest approach and the fly-by was upstream of the moon (where the interaction is expected to be weaker) Cassini's magnetometer observed a bending of the magnetic field which is consistent with its 'draping' around a conducting object, i.e. a moon with an atmosphere. This indicates that the Saturnian plasma is being diverted away from an extended atmosphere. Song of the Sun  Dawn in space  The dark band in the green aurora pictured here is an example of a black aurora. A black aurora isn't an aurora at all; rather it is a lack of auroral activity. The black aurora is only visible to the naked eye if it is embedded in a region of diffuse (faint) aurora. Atmospheric squeaking  Cassini-Huygens passing through Saturn's rings  Auroral 'Star Wars'  An artist's impression of the Cluster quartet. Marsquake!  Mars Express will leave Earth for Mars on 2 June 2003 when the positions of the two planets make for the shortest possible route, a condition that occurs once every twenty-six months. The intrepid spacecraft will start its six-month journey from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan onboard a Russian Soyuz/Fregat launcher. Wailing of the Leonids  This striking image showing some Leonid meteors was taken on 19 November 2001 by Andrew Johnson in Western Australia. (15 minute exposure using a super wide-angle lens) Last update: 1 November 2005 |